On Friday, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced that he would withdraw from the election and support Donald Trump.
He has also requested that his name be removed from the ballot, but shockingly, some blue states are denying the request.
Talking Points…
- Kennedy drops out
- Request denied
- Analysis
Kennedy dropped out of the election on Friday and quickly announced that he would support Donald Trump in the election. In terms of polling, this was a big boost for Trump because Kennedy was pulling more support from Trump than he was from Harris.
Trump has since announced that Kennedy, along with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), would be joining his transition team. Many believe that both of these individuals will find a home in Trump’s administration if he wins the election. There are quite a few areas where Kennedy could be useful, but I see Gabbard somewhere in Veterans Affairs, as she is quite passionate about this, and it would be an ideal fit for her.
Kennedy has also announced that he will be actively campaigning with Donald Trump, which I am sure did not sit well with Democrats. And perhaps that explains the second part of this report.
Kennedy then requested that his name be removed from the ballot, but he was denied in some battleground states. Two of these states are going to be a problem: Wisconsin and Michigan. Now, these states were able to replace Biden with Harris and Walz, but both states have declined Kennedy’s request to have his name removed from the ballot, and of course, we know why.
Michigan is a blue state, but it is always competitive. When it was Trump against Biden, Trump was actually winning the state. Harris is now ahead, but only by a slim margin. The same is true in Wisconsin, but Harris has a more significant lead against Trump. The common denominator here is that in both states, there is a Democrat Secretary of State who has the final say regarding the elections. In both states, where Kennedy drew more votes from Trump than he did Harris, they have declined to remove him from the ballot even though he left the race more than two months before election day.
Cheri Hardmon, press secretary for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, responded:
“Minor party candidates cannot withdraw, so his name will remain on the ballot in the November election.
“The Natural Law Party held their convention to select electors for [RFK Jr.]. They cannot meet at this point to select new electors since it’s past the primary.”
Wisconsin Democratic Commissioner Mark Thomsen responded to the news, stating:
“You’re not going to be able to cut a deal with someone and play last-minute games.
“Which is what I think is happening here, frankly… We know Trump and Kennedy are playing games.”
Let’s be honest here. If Kennedy was still hurting Democrats, he would be off the ballot, I have no doubt. I could say the same thing if Jill Stein or Cornel West had dropped out, as both candidates are believed to have hurt Harris more in this election than Trump. Does this constitute election interference or election fraud? I would bet dollars to donuts that the Trump campaign will be making that exact case.
Since each state is responsible for its own election process, I suggest that every election commission develop printed rules on this subject, with deadlines for withdrawal to ensure a name is not featured on a ballot. Let’s stop playing games on this front and have rules in place that everyone knows. That would mean fair elections, however, something that Democrats have no interest in partaking in, apparently.
